Bunny Bait Printable

A couple of weeks ago I decided to make a fun Easter-themed printable for baby B's school party. Feeling ahead of the game with a plan in motion, I later found out that we didn't need to supply any treats for this party. So instead of it going to waste, I'm going to share my little print with you!

All you need is:

• the Bunny Bait printable
• white cardstock
• treat of choice (this recipe looks yum)
• treat bags (these work great!)
• scissors
• staple

Then, just download, print and cut out. Fill the bags with a scoop of the Easter treat, then fold the design over the treat bag and staple shut. Another super easy, affordable treat idea.

(No picture of the finished product this time... Sorry!)

Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Printable

I'll admit, I'm not a Valentine's Day girl at all (please no teddy bears); however, I was totally excited for my little guy's Valentine's Day school party! In other words, it means I get to get crafty again. We all know those days of crafting hours on end are long gone, so when I'm given just the littlest of reason to make a craft I'm going to jump on it. 

Baby B's school throws small holiday parties and ask that the kiddos bring something to help out with the party. I already knew that I wanted his Valentine's treat to be something healthy (I'm 100% content with being that mom) for the kiddos to enjoy. So, when searching for ideas I came across this adorable printable and instantly fell in love. I decided to replicate the printable, but modifying the color to a brighter red. 

All you need is:

• the you're my main squeeze printable (found below or here)
• white cardstock
• fruit squeeze packets (we used apple sauce)
• string/ribbon
• scissors
• printer
• hole punch

Just download, print, cut, and assemble. Super easy, affordable, and a lovely Valentine's treat idea.

You can download the full sized printable here (and don't forget to write your little one's name next to the heart).

Happy Valentine's Day!

Crafting for Grandparents Day

Even though we celebrate Grandparents Day all year long (what would we do with out them), this past Sunday was National Grandparents Day. Being the hubs' and my parent's first Grandparents Day with baby B, I wanted to make sure they each got a little something special.

Since my guy is still a baby, it was so easy to figure out what we wanted to make for his grandparents -- something personalized with his tiny, adorable hand prints!

First, I picked up some plain white platters (you can use cups, plates, bowls, whatever your heart desires) and enamel paint. You want to make sure you take off any stickers on the glassware and wipe it down with some rubbing alcohol getting any grime off the dish you're about to paint.

Second, when the best idea quickly turned into the what the hell was I thinking idea... Paint your child's hand. (Note: Lots, and I mean LOTS, of paper towels and deep breaths will be needed.) It took us a few tries and red paint everywhere, but we finally got it!

You'll want to let that paint dry before you begin painting your art. Can you tell which animals these little hand prints are going to be?

My in-laws are huge Razorback fans, so it was obvious we would do something hog related, and the monkey was just adorable, so we couldn't not do that one.

Once you've finished painting your art, you'll want to let the paint dry completely. I suggest waiting a few days to be extra sure. Then you'll want to put it in the oven at 275 degrees for about 30 minutes - this sets the paint so it doesn't peel off. *Be sure you put the dish in the oven prior to turning it on/off. It needs to heat up and cool down with the oven to avoid the dish from breaking.*

Hope the grandparents love their new platters! (I should've made an extra one for me, because I love them that much!)

Brunch & Bubbly with the Bride

This past Saturday, one of my oldest friends had her bridal shower! Now, when I say "oldest" friend, I don't mean age-wise. She and I have been friends for about 20 years, so when she asked ME to decorate her bridal shower I was super excited! However, underneath all the excitement was a little bit of fear. I wanted to do a really good job for her, and have never been given full responsibility to decorate someone else's event -- especially an event with 40 people.

I spent a lot of time looking for ideas, and tried my hardest to not be overwhelmed - Pinterest can do that to you. Then, I came across a Kate Spade theme with pink, black, white, and gold, and I just loved it... So, that's what we went with! I tried to make a lot of the decor myself or save some money by shopping on eBay or at the Dollar Store and Wal-Mart. Overall, I'm really pleased with the way everything turned out - and Jessica was too, but let's be honest, she had no choice but to love it. :)

30 days until she's a Mrs.!

Thrifty Thursday

We're almost through the week - yay! I'm so looking forward to the three day weekend ahead of us, even though it looks like we'll be getting even more rain - boo. I'm hoping the sun comes out for a little bit so we can take the baby to the pool & this mamma can get a little sun.

I've always loved the idea of saving money and using what you have to make something great. Not only is it a little bit of a creativity challenge (who doesn't love a good challenge), but it also feels good to not pay top dollar for something when you know you can make it yourself. I'm really big into crafting and I wish I had more time in the day to do more crafts, so when I get the chance to craft, I jump on it. 

About a month or so ago, I was going through the baby's room and packing up all his newborn clothes. I was in total denial that he couldn't fit into them anymore, but the time came to box them up. I came across his hospital tags, hospital onesie and hat (cue tears). I didn't want to just box these items up and put them in the attic for ever, so I decided that these items were perfect shadowbox material! We received a really nice pale blue square shadowbox from one of my baby showers, so I used what I had around the house, not having to purchase anything, to put this together. 

I took the sweet baby items and simply placed them where I wanted them in the shadowbox, pinned them down, and taa-daa! Masterpiece. 

This is just the sweetest thing ever and makes me smile every time I look at it. Right now it's in his room on display in his nightstand, but once we finish getting our master bedroom together (will be posting about that soon) I'm sure this will get moved into our room so I can look at it and reminisce all. the. time. 

What are some keepsakes that you guys like to make shadowboxes out of? I could probably make a shadowbox for every occasion! 

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Teacher Appreciation Day

It's Teacher Appreciation Week, so be sure to thank those wonderful teachers of yours!

We wanted to gift our teachers with a little something to show our appreciation, so like always, off to Pinterest-land. Warning: Pinterest has so many ridiculously easy, fun ideas... you'll want to make ALL. Of. Them.

I originally wanted to make a "Thanks for Helping Me Grow" chalkboard flower pot, but then I saw just about a million adorable tumbler ideas and so I wanted to do that... and then there was the basket full of supplies (teacher survival kit) idea, which was too fun to pass up. I had total idea-overflow, so I ended up combining all of my favorite ideas into one. Problem solved! Until next year. :)

I purchased a few fun, bright items, like notepads, pencils, pens, crayons, tumbler, stickers, rulers, summer flower seeds, and a small bucket/planter for everything to go in. I dotted some yellow paint in the middle of the flowers on the planters, just to add some pop.

I found this adorable tag that reads, "It takes a big heart to shape little minds," which was perfect (and free)!

Assemble everything, add some ribbon, and you're done. Simple, easy and cheap project that your teachers are sure to enjoy and get some use out of.

I'm dying to see some of the things you've made to show appreciation for your teachers! Please share - I promise I won't steal your awesome ideas for next year (that's probably a lie). :)

Have an A+ Teacher Appreciation Day!

No Sew Tree Skirt

I'm sure you have seen the ruffle burlap no-sew tree skirt tutorials all over Pinterest, as they've been quiet the rage the past few years. I love easy (cheap) projects, especially ones that will make a big impact once finished. So, two years ago I decided to make one to go under our Christmas tree!

What you'll need:
Hot glue gun & glue sticks
Scissors
About 4 yards of fabric of your choice (I used burlap)
Old Christmas tree skirt
Bottle of wine to polish off after the project is complete (trust me, you'll want to)

I used about 2 yards in the original tan burlap color and another 2 yards in the lighter cream burlap color, which I purchased from Hobby Lobby. I picked up a tree skirt from the Dollar Store because we didn't have one laying around. Since the tree skirt I picked-up from the Dollar Store had felt pieces on it, I just flipped it over and used the plain side.

You'll want to cut your fabric into strips - the size doesn't necessarily matter, but you want it to be consistent. Also, the larger the strips, the more space you'll cover... In other words, the shorter amount of time you'll spend gluing them to your tree skirt - totally up to you! I think I did about 2 inch strips.

Cut until you have a pile of fabric strips - this is probably the most tedious part of the project, so make sure something good is on TV!

Make your first line of glue, starting at the edge of the tree skirt (you're working your way in). Place your fabric on top of the glue line. To make a ruffle, pinch a portion of the fabric between your fingers and press it down, overlapping the previous ruffle. Then, keep going, adding more fabric as needed, until you have completed your first row.

To start your second row, and the other rows to follow, start your glue line a few inches above your glued on fabric and make your ruffles like you did in the first row. Keep making ruffles until you've reached the center of the tree skirt.

I wish I had more pictures of when I was making the skirt, but this is the best I have!

This project took me a couple hours to complete (plus a million glue sticks and some burnt finger tips), including breaks in between, but I just love how the ruffled skirt looks under our Christmas tree! You'll most likely feel exhausted and have a love/hate relationship with burlap afterwards, which is why I suggest a bottle glass of wine to help relax & unwind - you deserve it. ;)

Christmas, 2013

As a bonus, and since Christmas month is officially upon us, here are some pictures from the past two years of our sweet boxers (excuse their mug-shot-like facial expressions) in front of the Christmas tree, it's tradition :) - you can even see the tree skirt in the background.

Brie & Tyson, 2012

Tyson & Brie as reindeer, 2013

Aren't they just the cutest?! And what good troopers putting up with my ridiculous photo ideas... :)

Let me know if you decide to make a ruffled tree skirt, I'd love to see your finished masterpiece!

Free Wall Art Printables for Baby & Kids' Rooms

As I've been looking at tons of baby nurseries to get art ideas for little man's nursery, I've come across some really great printable art to use in a baby or kids' room, and wanted to share them with you! Here are a few of my favorites:

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star | LostBumblebee

Adventure | I Rock So What

Custom Initial & Name Print | On to Baby

Dream Big | 733 Blog

Animal Alphabet Poster | Kind Over Matter

Love | Laura Winslow Photography

I Love You To The Moon & Back | Sweet Little Peanut

I just love the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Custom Initial & Name prints, so I print them out at home and used some frames that were laying around to display in the nursery.

Each of these printables are super fun & so sweet! Thanks to all these wonderfully talented artists who shared these printables for free personal use.

50 Shades of Gray

If you follow me on Instagram (@matkinson87), then you already know that the hubs a.k.a. The Paint Master painted the nursery! To some this may not be a big ordeal, but to me it's HUGE because it means we have officially begun preparing our home for our sweet little babe.

I've known for a while, and I mention it in my Nursery Inspiration post, that I wanted the room to be a light gray, but which light gray was the question?

Colors by Sherwin-Williams

While it felt like I was looking at 50 different shades of gray, I really tried to not get overwhelmed and stick to what I originally wanted, which was a definite light, crisp gray with no hints of other color(s). Pinterest was pretty dang helpful in narrowing down the number of grays for the nursery; that's where I discovered Repose Gray and Passive Gray. I really liked the way both colors only looked gray and no other color (like beige, green, blue, etc.) and how they made the white baseboards just pop with brightness. If you remember, the room we're working with was a darkish-blue... so anything bright and light-colored just made me smile.

via Pinterest here

via Pinterest here

So, off the hubs went to the paint store to pick-up a sample of Repose Gray and Passive Gray, as well as a third gray sample he thought may work. I've been nagging asking him for at least a month about picking some paint samples out, so I'm sure you can imagine how excited I was to get this party started.  He painted the three color options on the wall and I quickly noticed how Repose Gray was just too beige and the random gray he picked out (I was too obsessed with Passive Gray that I didn't bother with the name or brand of this third paint) had a major hint of green.

With Repose being too beige and the random gray being too green, this made it obvious that we were going with Passive Gray (yay, we have a winner)! While I was at work on Thursday, the hubs was busy prepping and painting the nursery - he'd send me a picture every now and then so I could see the progress, since I couldn't be there and am unable to help. When I got home, he just finished with the second coat and was about to begin painting the trim.

Ignore the floral love seat - it won't be around for long, I promise.

I am in total love with this paint choice. I know it can be a lot more difficult and overwhelming for some to choose such a neutral color, especially if you don't mind a hint of another color, but this was just about as easy/pleasant (minus the constant nagging asking of my dear husband to start looking at paint chips with me) as it gets and I could not be happier with the outcome.

Ok, so now that I've talked your ear off about the color gray, let's get started on the color blue... just kidding. :) I hope everyone enjoys their weekend - I know I'll be spending mine admiring the new gray (I swear that's the last time I mention that color) room and thanking my amazing paint master of a husband!